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Time Trials - Ludlow Evening League 2008
Click
here for a copy of the Ludlow evening league
programme.
Results up to the penultimate round (26th August) are
here - Hill Climb next week!
Cyclosportives 2008
Cyclosportives are by far the most popular form of organised
cycling events in the UK and Europe, and they are growing like crazy. We
are lucky to be blessed with some great events within easy reach. Some of
the best on the calendar include:
4th May -
Forest of Dean Classic - 85 miles.
25th May -
Gran Fondo Cymru - 40km, 153km, or 200km.
15th June -
Shropshire Highland Challenge - 65 miles. More of an audax than a
cyclosportive, but very popular with LCC members at it starts and finishes in
Ludlow.
15th June -
Dragon Ride - 120km
or 180km.
10th August -
Devil Ride - 100 miles.
7th September -
Trans Cambrian - 140km.
5th October -
Autumn Epic -
150km. Voted number one in the UK.
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Sam takes bronze in Welsh cross league
Youth member Sam Weaver took up the challenge of cyclo-cross last
Autumn, and after an intense season picked up the bronze medal in the Welsh
Cyclo-cross League on 16th December in a cold and breezy Cardiff. Courses
varied from bone dry parkland, through rim swallowing mud and wind swept
moorland, to rain drenched former open cast mines over the three month league
programme - combining intense racing (races are typically 30-50 minutes long)
with sharp bike handling, cyclo-cross is a fun and friendly discipline.
Sam is hoping to build on his debut season success as he enters the Junior ranks
next year, and if you fancy an exciting chance to sharpen your bike skills, you
could do worse than joining him in 2008! Report of the final round is
here.
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2007 Ludlow Time Trial League - final standings
Despite road works and floods, the evening time
trail league proved as popular as ever in 2007, with lots of new faces and
novice riders giving it a go. The final standings and results of each
round can be found here.
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Older Stories:
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A Winter Weather Treat...31st December 2006 (Elan Valley)
Starting from
Crossgates spirits were good - even on the climb up to Abby-cwm-hir.
Although it was quite windy we were reasonably sheltered and it didn't
really bother us - even though there was quite a bit of debris on the roads
which caused two punctures before Rhayader...more |
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click for larger
image |
Duo Normande 2006
Ludlow's annual trip to the Duo Normande
2-up 54.3 kilometre time trial was a big hit, even with spills and
flats, with a group of 17 taking part in this year's event.
Click here
to read Dover's account of this superb event, that has us coming back for
more each year. |
Matt and Dave on L'Alpe at the Tour de France
To
whet your appetite for the coming season, click here
to read all about how Matt and Dave Morris come down with a dose of Tour Fever
as they travel out to the Alps.
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click for larger image |
Cobbles!
Ludlow
riders abroad - Phil Smart and Phil Weaver took part in the Tour of
Flanders sportive this weekend, and what a fantastic experience it turned
out to be. Read Phil W's story of the event here,
and for Phil Smart's account click here.
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click for larger image |
......and more adventures from Phil Smart
Phil
Smart finds a memorable ride in Cornwall - click here
for the full story.
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How long are your cranks?
There
has been some chat on the Sunday club rides about the fact that virtually every
bike, regardless of frame (and therefore rider and leg) size seems to be fitted
with 170mm cranks. Some of us have tried longer or shorter lengths, with
encouraging results - more comfort, power etc. And the consensus within
the scientific community seems increasingly to confirm the view that one size
certainly doesn't fit all. A quick web search revealed a range of advice
and a number of calculators, which in the case of one 6ft rider (with an 85cm
inseam) suggests that cranks between 175 and 180 would be best - a suggestion
backed up by trying out some 175s. So, have a look yourself at the
following sites and see what they come up with. You never know, perhaps
you are the lucky and 170 really is right for you.
http://cranklength.info/crankCalc.htm
http://www.nettally.com/palmk/crankset.html
As
a contrast, and based more on conventional wisdom (i.e. not on scientific
theory), the calculator on this site suggests something much more in line with
the historical view that crank length is not necessarily related to leg/femur
length: http://www.machinehead-software.co.uk
So, how tough is L'Alpe
d'Huez? Compared with, say,
the Burway or Gospel Pass?
So
now the Tour route has been announced, don't you find yourself wondering just
how hard the climbs really are. Well find out by visiting this truly
remarkable site: http://ciclismo.sitiasp.it/(sic5vy55rixvlb55qeur2b45)/motore.aspx?lingua=eng&da=lm
It
lists details of thousands of climbs across Europe, providing pictorial
route profiles and statistics such as length, altitude and gradient (by the
kilometre), together with a difficulty rating based on all of these
factors. In answer to the question above - L'Alpe scores 114 points (click
here for its profile), the Burway 49 (click
here), and Gospel Pass 39 (click
here).
If
you have any cycling related sites that you would like to share, please email
us.
(Still)
Phil's
best day ever on a bike
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And longest - over 10 hours to complete a
road race. Can this be right? Yep, when the race lasts for
208km over four giant mountain passes in 95 degree heat. But was it
worth it? You bet - read Phil Weaver's account of the Gran Fondo
Campagnolo, and get the passports renewed for next year. After all,
who wouldn't want to ride with Big Mig? And 4000 others... |
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